Interactive television system with programming-related links

1. A method performed by user equipment on which a program guide application and a non-program-guide application are each at least partially implemented, the method comprising: receiving a user selection of a displayed non-program-guide option that is related to a program, wherein the non-program-guide application generates a display of the non-program-guide option, and wherein the non-program-guide application is configured to be invoked by a user independent of the program guide application; and in response to receiving the user selection, directing the program guide application to generate a display comprising a plurality of options related to the program, wherein the plurality of options comprises a first option for causing the program guide application to perform a first action associated with program guide data and a second option for causing the non-program-guide application to perform a second action associated with non-program guide data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first action comprises at least one of: causing the program to be displayed; setting a reminder for the program; recoding the program; and storing information associated with the program to a user profile.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second action comprises causing at least one of a video that is related to the program, an advertisement that is related to the program, a graphic that is related to the program, a phrase that is related to the program, and a word that is related to the program to be displayed.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising causing an indicator to be displayed simultaneously with the non-program-guide option, wherein the indicator indicates to the user that the non-program-guide option is related to the program.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein receiving the user selection of the displayed non-program-guide option comprises receiving a user selection of the indicator.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying the program based on a program guide database of programming information.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising directing the program guide application to cause the plurality of options to be displayed in at least one of: an overlay; and a display screen.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-program-guide application comprises executable code that includes a call to a program guide function that is executed when the non-program-guide option is selected.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-program-guide application invokes the program guide application with at least one parameter uniquely identifying the program, and wherein the program guide application generates the display comprising the plurality of options related to the program based on the at least one parameter.

10. A system including user equipment on which a program guide application and a non-program-guide application are each at least partially implemented, the system comprising: a processor operative to: receive a user selection of a displayed non-program-guide option that is related to a program, wherein the non-program-guide application generates a display of the non-program-guide option, and wherein the non-program-guide application is configured to be invoked by a user independent of the program guide application; and in response to receiving the user selection, direct the program guide application to generate a display comprising a plurality of options related to the program, wherein the plurality of options comprises a first option for causing the program guide application to perform a first action associated with program guide data and a second option for causing the non-program-guide application to perform a second action associated with non-program guide data.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first action comprises at least one of: causing the program to be displayed; setting a reminder for the program; recoding the program; and storing information associated with the program to a user profile.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the second action comprises causing at least one of a video that is related to the program, an advertisement that is related to the program, a graphic that is related to the program, a phrase that is related to the program, and a word that is related to the program to be displayed.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further operative to cause an indicator to be displayed simultaneously with the non-program-guide option, wherein the indicator indicates to the user that the non-program-guide option is related to the program.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further operative to receive a user selection of the indicator.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further operative to identify the program based on a program guide database of programming information.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further operative to direct the program guide application to cause the plurality of options to be displayed in at least one of: an overlay; and a display screen.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the non-program-guide application comprises executable code that includes a call to a program guide function that is executed when the non-program-guide option is selected.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the non-program-guide application invokes the program guide application with at least one parameter uniquely identifying the program, and wherein the program guide application generates the display comprising the plurality of options related to the program based on the at least one parameter.

19. A method performed by user equipment on which a program guide application and a non-program-guide application are each at least partially implemented, the method comprising: receiving a user selection of a displayed non-program-guide option that is related to a program, wherein the non-program-guide application generates a display of the non-program-guide option, and wherein the non-program-guide application is configured to be invoked by a user independent of the program guide application; and in response to receiving the user selection, directing the program guide application to generate a display comprising an option related to the program, wherein the program guide application causes the program to be displayed responsive to a user selection of the option.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the non-program-guide application invokes the program guide application with at least one parameter uniquely identifying the program, and wherein the program guide application generates the display comprising the option related to the program based on the at least one parameter.

21. A system including user equipment on which a program guide application and a non-program-guide application are each at least partially implemented, the system comprising: a processor operative to: receive a user selection of a displayed non-program-guide option that is related to a program, wherein the non-program-guide application generates a display of the non-program-guide option, and wherein the non-program-guide application is configured to be invoked by a user independent of the program guide application; and in response to receiving the user selection, direct the program guide application to generate a display comprising an option related to the program, wherein the program guide application causes the program to be displayed responsive to a user selection of the option.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the non-program-guide application invokes the program guide application with at least one parameter uniquely identifying the program, and wherein the program guide application generates the display comprising the option related to the program based on the at least one parameter.

23. A method performed by user equipment on which a program guide application and a non-program-guide application are each at least partially implemented, the method comprising: receiving, with the program guide application from the non-program-guide application, at least one parameter uniquely identifying a program, wherein the at least one parameter is received responsive to a user selection of an option related to the program, wherein the non-program-guide application generates a display of the non-program-guide option, and wherein the non-program-guide application is configured to be invoked by a user independent of the program guide application; and in response to receiving the at least one parameter, generating with the program guide application a display comprising an option related to the program, wherein the program guide application causes the program to be displayed responsive to a user selection of the option.

24. A system including user equipment on which a program guide application and a non-program-guide application are each at least partially implemented, the system comprising: a processor operative to: receive, with the program guide application from the non-program-guide application, at least one parameter uniquely identifying a program, wherein the at least one parameter is received responsive to a user selection of an option related to the program, wherein the non-program-guide application generates a display of the non-program-guide option, and wherein the non-program-guide application is configured to be invoked by a user independent of the program guide application; and in response to receiving the at least one parameter, generate with the program guide application a display comprising an option related to the program, wherein the program guide application causes the program to be displayed responsive to a user selection of the option.

25. A method performed by user equipment on which a first application and a second application are each at least partially implemented, the method comprising: responsive to a user request to invoke the first application, wherein the first application is configured to be invoked by a user independent of the second application, and wherein each of the first application and the second application is associated with a graphical user interface comprising at least one graphical user interface element: retrieving code corresponding to the first application from memory of the user equipment, wherein the code corresponding to the first application comprises a first plurality of instructions corresponding to the first application; and executing the code with a processor of the user equipment to perform at least some of the first plurality of instructions; generating, based on at least one of the first plurality of instructions, a first signal for transmission to a display screen, wherein the first signal comprises information for causing the display screen to display a first graphical user interface element of the first application related to a program, and wherein the information comprises information specifying a first range of positions within the display screen where the first graphical user interface element of the first application related to the program is to be displayed; receiving a first data structure comprising first location information indicating a first location in the display screen, wherein the first data structure indicates that a first user selection was received; comparing the first location in the display screen with the first range of positions within the display screen to determine whether the first location in the display screen falls within the first range of positions within the display screen; responsive to determining that the first location in the display screen falls within the first range of positions within the display screen: retrieving information uniquely identifying the program; and executing at least one of the first plurality of instructions that comprises a call to a function of the second application, wherein: the call to the function of the second application comprises at least one input parameter; and the retrieved information uniquely identifying the program is passed to the function of the second application as the at least one input parameter; and responsive to executing the at least one of the first plurality of instructions that comprises the call to the function of the second application, causing the user equipment to: retrieve code corresponding to the second application from the memory of the user equipment, wherein the retrieved code corresponding to the second application comprises a second plurality of instructions corresponding to the second application, and wherein the retrieved code comprises code corresponding to the function of the second application; execute the code corresponding to the function of the second application to perform at least some of the second plurality of instructions; generate, based on at least one of the second plurality of instructions, a second signal for transmission to the display screen, wherein the second signal comprises information for causing the display screen to display a second graphical user interface element of the second application related to the program, and wherein the information comprises information specifying a second range of positions within the display screen where the second graphical user interface element of the second application related to the program is to be displayed; receive a second data structure comprising second location information indicating a second location in the display screen, wherein the second data structure indicates that a second user selection was received; compare the second location in the display screen with the second range of positions within the display screen to determine whether the second location in the display screen falls within the second range of positions within the display screen; and responsive to determining that the second location in the display screen falls within the second range of positions within the display screen: receive, based on the information uniquely identifying the program, with a communications controller of the user equipment over a communications path, a fourth signal from a remote location that includes a computer component comprising a server, wherein the fourth signal comprises video information retrieved from storage of the server corresponding to a sequence of video frames of a plurality of sequences of video frames that represents the program, wherein the computer component is configured to transmit a plurality of signals corresponding to the plurality of sequences of video frames that represent a plurality of programs to a plurality of user equipment devices contemporaneously; and generate, based on the received video information, a fifth signal for transmission to the display screen, wherein the fifth signal comprises information for causing the display screen to display the sequence of video frames, and wherein each video frame of the sequence of video frames is displayed at a different point in time and in an order dictated by the received video information.

26. A system including user equipment on which a first application and a second application are each at least partially implemented, the system comprising: a processor operative to: responsive to a user request to invoke the first application, wherein the first application is configured to be invoked by a user independent of the second application, and wherein each of the first application and the second application is associated with a graphical user interface comprising at least one graphical user interface element: retrieve code corresponding to the first application from memory of the user equipment, wherein the code corresponding to the first application comprises a first plurality of instructions corresponding to the first application; and execute the code with a processor of the user equipment to perform at least some of the first plurality of instructions; generate, based on at least one of the first plurality of instructions, a first signal for transmission to a display screen, wherein the first signal comprises information for causing the display screen to display a first graphical user interface element of the first application related to a program, and wherein the information comprises information specifying a first range of positions within the display screen where the first graphical user interface element of the first application related to the program is to be displayed; receive a first data structure comprising first location information indicating a first location in the display screen, wherein the first data structure indicates that a first user selection was received; compare the first location in the display screen with the first range of positions within the display screen to determine whether the first location in the display screen falls within the first range of positions within the display screen; responsive to determining that the first location in the display screen falls within the first range of positions within the display screen: retrieve information uniquely identifying the program; and execute at least one of the first plurality of instructions that comprises a call to a function of the second application, wherein: the call to the function of the second application comprises at least one input parameter; and the retrieved information uniquely identifying the program is passed to the function of the second application as the at least one input parameter; and responsive to executing the at least one of the first plurality of instructions that comprises the call to the function of the second application, causing the user equipment to: retrieve code corresponding to the second application from the memory of the user equipment, wherein the retrieved code corresponding to the second application comprises a second plurality of instructions corresponding to the second application, and wherein the retrieved code comprises code corresponding to the function of the second application; execute the code corresponding to the function of the second application to perform at least some of the second plurality of instructions; generate, based on at least one of the second plurality of instructions, a second signal for transmission to the display screen, wherein the second signal comprises information for causing the display screen to display a second graphical user interface element of the second application related to the program, and wherein the information comprises information specifying a second range of positions within the display screen where the second graphical user interface element of the second application related to the program is to be displayed; receive a second data structure comprising second location information indicating a second location in the display screen, wherein the second data structure indicates that a second user selection was received; compare the second location in the display screen with the second range of positions within the display screen to determine whether the second location in the display screen falls within the second range of positions within the display screen; and responsive to determining that the second location in the display screen falls within the second range of positions within the display screen: receive, based on the information uniquely identifying the program, with a communications controller of the user equipment over a communications path, a fourth signal from a remote location that includes a computer component comprising a server, wherein the fourth signal comprises video information retrieved from storage of the server corresponding to a sequence of video frames of a plurality of sequences of video frames that represents the program, wherein the computer component is configured to transmit a plurality of signals corresponding to the plurality of sequences of video frames that represent a plurality of programs to a plurality of user equipment devices contemporaneously; and generate, based on the received video information, a fifth signal for transmission to the display screen, wherein the fifth signal comprises information for causing the display screen to display the sequence of video frames, and wherein each video frame of the sequence of video frames is displayed at a different point in time and in an order dictated by the received video information.